Ordinary Significant Ministry

            I write this following a week of significant ministry. Now you may be expecting me to go on to talk about the number of visits that I have made both in homes and in hospitals, the amount of people that I counseled, the Bible studies I taught, and the sermons I preached. While all of those certainly are significant ministry tasks, last week I actually did none of them. Instead, my week consisted of helping my wife with things around the house as she recovered from delivery such as doing the dishes and the laundry, feeding my newborn son, changing his diapers, and calming him when fussy.

            We often think significant ministry is only that which is done in an official capacity for the church. That if we are not serving on a specific board or committee, being a deacon, teaching a Sunday School class, delivering a sermon, or traveling overseas for missionary work, then we are not actually doing significant ministry. But that is far from the truth. For the Christian, everything that he or she does ought to be viewed as significant ministry for the kingdom of God (including but not limited to the things in that list). Even ordinary mundane tasks such as changing diapers or washing the dishes. This is because everything that the Christian does should no longer be for himself and his own gain but for the glory of God and our neighbor’s good. As Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” and in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Such an attitude transforms the ordinary tasks of everyday life into extraordinary ministry opportunities by which to bring glory to God as we seek to do them in excellence to please and honor Him. It changes our very perspective. These are not simply things that have to be done and so I need to hurry up and do them but ways that I can serve the One who loves me so much that He gave His very life for me. He is pleased when I do every ordinary thing in gratitude to Him and in accordance with His Word. And that makes the smallest deed done on this earth significant.

In a sense, nothing really should be seen as “secular” for the Christian in his or her life but “sacred” since all of life is viewed as being set apart for and devoted to God. (That’s the meaning of “sacred” by the way. Something being set apart for and devoted to God.) You may think that you work at a “secular” job but in essence it is a “sacred” job for you because you realize that your ultimate boss is not the one you report to on Monday morning but the Lord Jesus Christ Himself who will reward us with a far greater treasure than any financial reimbursement, the inheritance of heaven itself (Colossians 3:23-24). You will want to do a good job in light of such a truth. Ordinary tasks in marriage such as washing the dishes and doing the laundry become sacred tasks when we keep in mind that they are ways of serving our spouse and in so doing painting the picture of the greater gospel relationship that the marriage union points to, that of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33). With such small tasks, we also can demonstrate the great love which Christ has shown us in giving fully of Himself for our benefit. These little everyday things can be big ways to love our husbands and wives like Jesus as we give of ourselves for their benefit. As we take up our cross and deny ourselves for their sake. Parenting transforms into a sacred task with the mindset that our goal as parents is so much more than preparing our children to be a polite respectful outstanding citizen or to find a good mate but ultimately to know the Lord Jesus Christ and to live for Him. That each day provides so many opportunities to both teach and present the gospel to them (Deuteronomy 6:6-7). What a holy privilege to prepare these little ones for eternity! Brother Lawrence was right in a sense that in most cases, “Sanctification does not involve changing what we do, but in doing our normal activities for God’s sake.”

 

            Martin Luther and the reformers really emphasized this, that even the seemingly most mundane task, done in faith for Christ and the glory of God is significant in God's eyes. Here is him talking about it in his characteristic way: "Now observe that when that clever harlot, our natural reason . . . , takes a look at married life, she turns up her nose and says, ‘Alas, must I rock the baby, wash its diapers, make its bed, smell its stench, stay up nights with it, take care of it when it cries, heal its rashes and sores and on top of that care for my wife, provide for her, labor at my trade, take care of this and take care of that, do this and do that, endure this and endure that, and whatever else of bitterness and drudgery married life involves?’

"What then does Christian faith say to this? It opens its eyes, looks upon all these insignificant, distasteful, and despised duties in the Spirit, and is aware that they are all adorned with divine approval as with the costliest gold and jewels. It says, O God, because I am certain that thou hast created me as a man and hast from my body begotten this child, I also know for a certainty that it meets with thy perfect pleasure. I confess to thee that I am not worthy to rock the little babe or wash its diapers, or to be entrusted with the care of the child and its mother. How is it that I, without any merit, have come to this distinction of being certain that I am serving thy creature and thy most precious will? O how gladly will I do so, though the duties should be even more insignificant and despised. Neither frost nor heat, neither drudgery nor labor, will distress or dissuade me, for I am certain that it is thus pleasing in thy sight. God, with all his angels and creatures is smiling—not because the father is washing diapers, but because he is doing so in Christian faith.”

So as you go about your day today facing some of those ordinary mundane tasks, be sure to give it your best effort because you are not doing them for yourself but for your Lord. Don’t stick up your nose at them thinking that your time could better be spent doing something greater. Seek to do such ordinary chores in gratitude to God for all that He has done for you in Christ and to bring Him glory and praise. Well, I have a little baby who needs to be fed. Another significant ministry task for God’s glory!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Praying Like An Apostle

I have been taking some time the past month or so to study the prayers of the Apostle Paul which he records for us in his letters and I have to confess that I have been so greatly convicted in regards to the content of my own prayers. There are many things in my prayers that I do not find in his and several things in his prayers which are absent in mine. Perhaps you notice the same thing as well in comparison of your prayers with those of Paul. I’m sure that I am not alone in this. 

Now I don’t think that this means that we are necessarily praying for the wrong things. After all, we are told to be casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7) and Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God (Philippians 4:6). Basically, if it is a concern of ours, we are to bring the matter before God and place it in His much more capable hands rather than being anxious or worrying about it. This would include whatever might be a concern to us. However, I think that what we see with an examination of Paul’s prayers is not that we pray for the wrong things but that we fail to pray for the best things. We are actually limiting our prayers and don’t even realize it. As Alistair Begg has said, “All that matters may be brought before God, but what we bring before God is not always what matters most.” Let’s take a little bit of time to look at some of those things that “matter most” which Paul often focused on in his prayers.

One thing we notice when we turn to any of Paul’s prayers is that he was not as focused on physical concerns. We don’t find many requests about physical healing or relief from physical pain in them. Rather, Paul spends his prayers on the spiritual growth for those who comprise the congregations which he wrote. Not that Paul did not care about someone’s sickness or aching joints but he recognized that the greater need was spiritual. In light of eternity, what matters most is our growth in grace and godliness. Which is why we find him praying more for the members of the congregation to come to know the love of Christ greater and deeper (Ephesians 3:14-19). Such will better prepare us for eternity than limiting our request to our physical comfort here and now. A greater and more robust knowledge of Christ’s love for us will also be that which can sustain us through our physical trials and difficulties. Regardless of what circumstances and situations that we may face, we need to know that we are loved by God and accepted in Christ, especially when the nature of those circumstances and situations might cause us to doubt such truth. Do you see how immensely practical this type of prayer can be? 

We also don’t find Paul praying for health, wealth, and material prosperity for the believers in the churches. Instead, his prayer is that they would come to know more of the spiritual riches that they already have in Christ and be living for the heavenly inheritance that awaits them (Ephesians 1:15-18). The splendid news for the believer is that we have far greater riches in glory than we could ever amass here on this earth. And this inheritance is so much better than the things of this world because moth and rust will not destroy it nor thieves ever steal it (Matthew 6:19-20) but it is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Peter 1:4). Even greater is the fact that this inheritance is God Himself. We will be with Him for all eternity in the New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:1-4). Instead of praying for bigger and better things here, doesn’t it make more sense to pray like Paul that we would not lose sight of the true prosperity in Christ which awaits us? The inheritance that already belongs to us which we don’t yet fully possess. One of our biggest problems is that we wind up getting too comfortable here and begin to forget our true riches. Hence why such a prayer is so necessary for us.

We see Paul pray for power for believers as well (Ephesians 1:19-23). The truth is that we cannot live the Christian life on our own. We do not have the strength. But the good news is that God has not only saved us but has given us His Spirit to do in us what we cannot do ourselves. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead lives within us (Romans 6:10) and enables us to do what God has commanded. Following Paul, we ought to pray that we continually know this power and rely on it for all that the Lord has called us to do.

            Do you see what I mean when I mentioned earlier that we are limiting our prayers when we focus only on our physical needs and comfort? There are so much richer and fuller things to be praying for that we discover when we pay attention to how Paul himself prayed. May this encourage us to pray bigger prayers like the Apostle Paul!

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee

Why I Am A Complimentarian

When it comes to the debate over gender roles in both the home and the church, there are pretty much two main opposing views out there; complementarianism which holds to the understanding that while men and women are equal in status, they have different roles that complement each other and equalitarianism where there are no distinction of roles among the two genders. Of those two, I am a convicted unashamed unapologetic complementarian. The following are several reasons why.

I am a complimentarian not because it is the perspective that bests agrees with my natural desires. In fact, to be honest, my natural tendency is to be passive and let others take the lead. There are many times where I would be much more comfortable having my wife lead in making the decisions than to take the initiative myself. I have to really "man up" at times and lead. So, I cannot say that I am a complimentarian because it appeals to me. It certainly doesn't look attractive to my flesh.

I am a complimentarian not because being one helps me to "fit in." Actually, it does not as it currently isn't very popular in our culture and society. Rather, it is deemed as old fashioned, puritanical, something from the stone age that is unfair, and possibly even abusive. (I have heard all of these labels being rudely and unfairly thrown at those who hold to such a position.) Even within the denomination in which I serve, it makes me appear as an outcast at times and even caused consternation at both my licensing and ordination interviews. Peer pressure and the desire to be accepted isn't why I am a complimentarian.

I am a complimentarian not because I want to demean or hold back women from serving in roles that they are capable of but because I desire to see them be the women that God has created them to be serving in the roles that He has wisely designed for them in both the home and the church.

I am a complimentarian not because I think that women have no place in ministry or in the workforce (that is not the case at all) but because I desire to see them thrive in the ministries that God Himself has called them to, such as training younger women in the church "to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled" (Titus 2:4-5) and in bearing and caring for their children at home. Things that they are able to do that men cannot. Oh, that we would have more women today take such roles seriously rather than seeking out other roles for themselves! 

I am a complimentarian because I value the distinctions God has made between the genders. That He did not design them to be interchangeable but each with expressed purposes to work together for His glory. I lament that in a push for equality such distinctions are disappearing today and the corresponding beauties of femininity and masculinity no longer seen as much.

I am a complimentarian because God decided to make man before He made the woman and treated the man as if he served as the authority over his wife (Genesis 2:4-23). The man was the one first called to account for both his and his wife's sin. He was responsible to answer for her (Genesis 3:9).

I am a complimentarian because God specifically stated that the woman was to be a "helpmate corresponding to him," not someone exactly like him in every way, shape, and form (Genesis 2:18, 20). He made her to be similar yet different.

I am a complimentarian because even though one of the effects of the Fall was for the woman to desire to overtake the authority of her husband, God stated that it was still His design that the man "shall rule" over her (Genesis 3:16).

I am a complimentarian because even though the prophetess Deborah served as a judge, this appeared to be uncommon at the time and during a period described in Israel's history when "in those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Furthermore, Deborah actually called on Barak to lead the people into battle and his cowardice resulted in the embarrassment of the enemy being delivered into the hand of a woman (4:9). 

I am a complimentarian because 1 Corinthians 11:3 says "that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God."

I am a complimentarian because in laying out the proper roles for husbands and wives in marriage, the Bible calls for wives to submit to their own husbands as to the Lord and the husband has been designated as the head of the wife reflecting Christ's marvelous relationship with His Church (Ephesians 5:22-24). The husband is to love his wife and lead her sacrificially just as Christ does the Church, caring for her as he does his own body (vv. 25-29).

I am a complimentarian because Paul states in 1 Timothy 2:11-12 in the context of proper conduct in the church (3:14-15), "Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet." And this cannot be limited to a specific situation in Ephesus that Timothy was facing as Paul grounds it in God's creative order as revealed in Genesis (v. 13) and made a similar statement earlier to the church in Corinth that this instruction pertains to "all the churches of the saints" (1 Corinthians 14:33-35).

I am a complimentarian because the qualifications for an elder (what we predominantly today just call a "pastor") are given with masculine pronouns and descriptions which only fit that of a man such as "the husband of one wife" or "a one woman man" (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9). No indication is given at all for Timothy or Titus to look for a woman to serve in such a role.

I am a complimentarian because the ones first called into the main leadership roles of the church by the Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles that He chose were all men. Jesus chose 12 men to be His apostles and the apostles themselves chose 7 men to lead in the situation regarding the neglect of the widows (Acts 6). Nowhere in the New Testament do we ever see a woman being chosen to serve in the main leadership roles of the church but instead to serve under and alongside the men God had called.

I am a complimentarian ultimately because I hold the Bible to be the authoritative inerrant infallible Word of God and from my humble understanding of it to teach complimentarianism. 

Love in Christ,
Lee
Soli Deo Gloria!!!

Recovering Repentance

            I have noticed something today that has greatly concerned me. A neglect of a crucial command that the Lord has given us which serves as a necessity towards both our reception of the gospel message as well as our ongoing growth in grace. A few years ago, my wife and I went to the Westmoreland County Fair. At first I was excited to come across a church handing out tracts and sharing the gospel. That is until I got to the end of the tract and saw that they had blacked out the word “repent” which preceded “believe in Christ for your salvation.” It appears that both in preaching and practice today, the doctrine of repentance has been “blacked out” so to speak. It is not much emphasized and in some cases not mentioned at all.

            However, repentance cannot be ignored. After all, our Lord Jesus Himself did not exclude it in His preaching and teaching. We see this in the summary of His message in the opening of Mark’s Gospel, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15, emphasis added). He chastised the cities which refused to repent in light of the display of His miraculous power (Matthew 11:20-24; Luke 10:13-15). Jesus stated that He did not call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). In light of tragedy and calamity, He reminded those who gathered round Him that “unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3, 5). There is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than those who think that they do not need repentance (Luke 15:7, 10). Jesus’ call for repentance was continued through the preaching and teaching of His apostles, seen first when He sends them out for an early evangelistic trip (Mark 6:12) and then in their ongoing ministry after the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30; 20:21; 26:27). God’s stated desire is not for any to perish but for “all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). To “black out” repentance is to “black out” the very teaching of our Lord Himself. 

            The Greek word for repent literally means to change one’s mind. And it is a change of mind that affects the will and direction of one’s life. If no change of course has occurred, then no real change of mind has actually happened. You will notice the continual call in Scripture to “bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:8; Luke 3:8; Acts 26:20). The call to repentance is a call for a change of direction. From looking to yourself and bowing down to someone or something other than God to looking to the Lord Jesus Christ alone and bowing your knee to Him. It is a turning from walking towards sin to walking towards God as a result of the working of the Holy Spirit in one’s heart. Kind of like an “about face” in the military. When soldiers are heading one direction and their commanding officer yells that phrase, they halt and turn around to face the opposite direction.

            A key characteristic of repentance is a genuine sorrow over one’s sin. Not simply that the person is sorry that they got caught for what they have done or a grieving over the consequences of it but a recognition of and grieving over the fact that they have sinned against God Himself. Think about when you were little and may have had someone you looked up to. Maybe it was an uncle or a grandparent but your greatest desire was to please them. And then there was that time you did something that you shouldn’t and it was told to them. You could see the disappointment in their face. That pained you more than anything else. It was not because you were caught for what you had done that bothered you but that you could not bear the thought of having disappointed them. That’s a picture of the sorrow associated with genuine repentance. A grieving over having displeased God with the sin, no matter what it might have been.

            Here are a few examples which might help illustrate what repentance practically looks like. Repentance is the prodigal son, after being brought to his senses, regretting his wayward living and seeing himself as unworthy of being called his father’s son. And leaving such a life to go back to his father. A sorrow over his sin moves him to turn from it. Repentance is the tax collector in Jesus’ parable who cannot even look to heaven on account of the grief of his sins but can only beat his breast and say to God, “Lord, have mercy upon me, a sinner.” Contrast that with the Pharisee who doesn’t even recognize that he is a sinner and certainly doesn’t turn from such pride. Repentance is Zachaeus, that wee little man, giving half of his riches to the poor and paying back four times as much to those he cheated. Clearly an abandonment of his former sinful way of living, evidence of a certain change brought about in his life. And repentance is King David responding to his sin of adultery with Bathsheba with “I have sinned against the Lord,” grieving over such sin, and desiring to be cleansed from it. Just read through Psalm 51 to see what his repentant heart looked like.

            And repentance serves as a compliment to faith. You really cannot have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. In order to come to Christ, one must first leave their sin. To turn from heading in that direction since Jesus stands at the opposite direction. As Thomas Watson put it, “Till sin be bitter, Christ will not be sweet.” Perhaps this is why the command is worded to repent first and then believe.

            Now does this mean that one is saved by their repentance? Absolutely not! The Bible is clear that we are saved by faith alone and not by any works at all (Ephesians 2:8-9). Repentance, along with faith, is described as being a gift of grace produced in us by the work of the Holy Spirit. Notice the wording in Acts 11:18 and 2 Timothy 2:25 of, in both cases, repentance being “granted” by God. Faith serves as the sole instrument in our justification but as previously mentioned, it is impossible to come to Christ in faith without first turning from the sins they are embracing and the idols they are trusting instead of Christ.

            We need to remember as well that repentance is not a one-time deal. An “I did it and it’s done” type of thing. It is not just necessary for unbelievers. No, for the true believer who has been born again, repentance is not a one-time action but an ongoing attitude. As the Spirit of God continues to convict us of our sin, we should continually be repenting over those sins. I like how Martin Luther said it, “When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said ‘Repent,’ he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.” Or Charles Spurgeon, “A Christian must never leave off repenting, for I fear he never leaves off sinning.”

            So let’s be careful not to “black out” the practice of repentance in our lives but to make it a daily habit for us, continuing to grieve over our sins and turn from them, all the while resting in the joy of what Christ has done for us on the cross to forgive us of our sins. And when we share the glorious good news of the gospel with our unsaved loved ones and call for their response to it, let’s not “black out” to call for repentance either as those part of that church at the fairgrounds did but follow our Savior’s lead and call all men to “repent and believe the gospel.”

Love in Christ,

Pastor Lee